Kanu’s Release: Comply with UN recommendations on Kanu now, Buhari told

The Federal Government of Nigeria has been urged to unhesitatingly comply with the resolutions of the United Nations, UN, Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, on the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

The South East Revival Group (SERG) gave this order, stressing that it will help avert a looming fresh war front, amid the current insecurity in most parts of the country.

It would be recalled that the UN recently indicted both the Nigerian and Kenyan Governments for the extraordinary rendition, torture and continued detention of Kanu without due process.

Consequently, the UN agreed and recommended to the Federal Government to immediately release Kanu unconditionally.

However, in a statement signed by the President and National Coordinator of the SERG, Chief Willy Ezugwu, at the weekend, the group called on the Government to be responsible and reasonable in handling the recommendations of the UN as part of the bitter pills Nigeria must take to reduce armed struggle in the country.

The statement read in part, “For the United Nations to ask the Federal Government to pay adequate compensation for the arbitrary violation of the fundamental human rights of Nnamdi Kanu, it then becomes clear that the world body has found grave infractions in the process of rendition and detention of the IPOB leader.

“The President Muhammadu Buhari administration must be proactive enough to immediately free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and open a channel for addressing the root causes of the renewed Biafran agitations in the South East in the general interest of peace, security and national integration.

“The Federal Government must learn lessons from the unfortunate but avoidable insurgency in the North East, which has spread to other parts of the country and escalated as a result of the arbitrary killing of the Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf.

“We, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately order the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and open a channel for dialogue with aggrieved citizens, not only in the South East but across the country, in order to find lasting peace in the country.

“This has become expedient as the Nigerian security forces will eventually be overwhelmed if avoidable war fronts are opened in all parts of the country, which will be inimical to national peace and development.”

Earlier in a related development, Kanu’s Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor had in a recent article, asserted that that the UN body recently considered Nnamdi Kanu’s matter and held that “The removal of Mr. Kanu from Kenya amounted to extraordinary rendition”.

According to Ejimakor, “In clarification, the body further held that “Mr. Kanu’s arrest and transfer to Nigeria lacked a legal basis and due process of law, in violation of article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 9 of the Covenant”.